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Eumerus Meigen, 1822 is one of the largest Syrphidae genera in the Palaearctic Region, with the highest levels of taxonomic diversity found in the Eumerus tricolor species group. Despite its high diversity, the interspecific levels of morphological variability can be low. Additionally, some species may show certain levels of intraspecific variability. Hence, species delimitation may become challenging. In this work, we assessed the diversity of the E. tricolor group in the Iberian Peninsula through an integrative analysis of nomenclature, morphology and the 5′ (COI-5′) and 3′ (COI-3′) end regions of the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. Two new species, Eumerus ancylostylus Aguado-Aranda & Ricarte sp. n. and Eumerus petrarum Aguado-Aranda, Nedeljković & Ricarte sp. n., were described, and their intra- and interspecific variations discussed. In addition, the first barcodes of Iberian members of the E. tricolor group were obtained, and the distribution ranges of all species were mapped within the study area. The systematic position of the new species is discussed based on the resulting COI-based trees. The male genitalia of Eumerus hispanicus van der Goot, 1966 and Eumerus bayardi Séguy, 1961 were studied and illustrated. A lectotype was designated for Eumerus lateralis (Zetterstedt, 1819). An updated dichotomous key for all known European species of the E. tricolor group is provided. The egg of E. petrarum sp. n. is also described.

Comprising nearly 500 species worldwide, Cheilosia Meigen is the largest genus of Syrphidae in the Palaearctic region. Within Cheilosia, phenotypic diversity has been assessed in different species groups, including the group of Cheilosia longula (Zetterstedt, 1838). However, the phenotypic variability of Cheilosia soror (Zetterstedt, 1843), a highly variable member of the C. longula group, has never been assessed in western Europe. In the present work, morphological and molecular analyses were conducted to assess the phenotypic variability found in 300+ specimens of C. soror from the Iberian Peninsula. A total of 16 variable characters were identified and defined for the C. soror morphology, with the highest variation found in the colour of the mesonotum pilosity and the metatibia colour. Morphological variation was assessed against molecular variation based on two molecular markers, one mitochondrial, the 5 end of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI-5), and one nuclear, the large subunit ribosomal DNA (28S). Phylogenetic analyses rendered trees with topologies in disagreement with the defined morphological variation. Two haplotypes were identified amongst the analysed specimens of C. soror, together with a haplotypic variant exclusive to the Iberian region. Potential distributions were used to identify unexplored areas of occurrence of C. soror and other species of the C. longula group in the Iberian Peninsula. Unassessed areas of occurrence of C. soror should be surveyed in the future to confirm the absence of hidden taxonomic diversity within the range of phenotypic variation for this species. Phenotypic variation of the other two Iberian species of the C. longula group, C. longula and C. scutellata (Fallén, 1817), was also assessed to find that they are species with less-variable morphology than C. soror and with molecular characters in accordance with other conspecific populations in Europe. New distributional data are provided for C. soror and C. scutellata from Spain, and a leg abnormality is identified for the first time in C. soror. This research was funded by the “Fauna Ibérica” project (PGC2018-095851-A-C65) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Spain. Antonio Ricarte’s position (Ref. UATALENTO17-08) at the University of Alicante is funded by the “Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia del Conocimiento.” The positions of Zorica Nedeljković and Iván Ballester-Torres at the University of Alicante are funded by the above-mentioned Fauna Ibérica project.

In the present study, the natural enemies of aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and their host plants including herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees were analysed to reveal their biodiversity and disclose tritrophic associations in different habitats of the South Marmara region of northwest Turkey. As a result of field surveys, 58 natural enemy species associated with 43 aphids on 58 different host plants were identified in the region between March of 2017 and November of 2018. In 173 tritrophic natural enemy-aphid-host plant interactions including association records new for Europe and Turkey, there were 21 representatives of the family Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), 14 of the family Syrphidae (Diptera) and 15 of the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera), as well as eight other generalist natural enemies. In these interactions, a total of 37 aphid-natural enemy associations–including 19 associations of Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) with natural enemies, 16 associations of Therioaphis trifolii (Monell) with natural enemies and two associations of Aphis craccivora Koch with natural enemies–were detected on Medicago sativa L. during the sampling period. Similarly, 12 associations of Myzus cerasi (Fabricius) with natural enemies were revealed on Prunus avium (L.), along with five associations of Brevicoryne brassicae (Linnaeus) with natural enemies (including mostly parasitoid individuals) on Brassica oleracea L. Also in the study, reduviids of the species Zelus renardii (Kolenati) are reported for the first time as new potential aphid biocontrol agents in Turkey. The results of field surveys show that the natural enemies of aphids have high biodiversity, which should be considered in the management of biological pest control.

Syrphidae are pollinators, pest predators and decomposers in European ecosystems. Camprodon (Girona province, Spain) is a valley with rich vegetation and high habitat diversity in the eastern Pyrenees. However, hoverfly biodiversity in this valley was poorly known. To explore the high potential of this area for Syrphidae, a survey with hand-net was undertaken in July/August 2020 in the valley. The list of Syrphidae species from the valley increases to 88, whilst that of the Girona province now extends to 119 species. Chrysotoxum lessonae is reported for the first time from the Iberian Peninsula. The specimens of Xylota tarda and Cheilosia hypena () represent the first documented records of these species for the Iberian Peninsula and Spain, respectively; i.e. these two species were known to occur in the Iberian Peninsula and Spain but without further locality details. A total of 19 species were new to the region of Catalonia and 23 to the Girona province. Cheilosia was the genus with the highest number of species recorded, as expected from the combination of mountains, diversity of forest vegetation, and presence of rivers/streams of the Camprodon valley. Faunistic results from this fieldwork are relevant to knowledge of Diptera from Catalonia, a region of Spain where this insect family is understudied. Antonio Ricarte’s position (Ref. UATALENTO17-08) at the University of Alicante is funded by the “Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia del Conocimiento”. This research was funded by the Fauna Iberica Project PGC2018-095851-A-C65 of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

The taxonomy of the syrphid genus Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Syrphidae), is complex and currently under scrutiny. Two new species allied with Chrysotoxum vernale, one from the Western Mediterranean, Chrysotoxum hispanicum sp. n. and the other from the Eastern Mediterranean, Chysotoxum anatolicum sp. n., are described and illustrated. Chrysotoxum hispanicum sp. n. is distinguished from the similar C. vernale Loew by the size of the yellow abdominal fasciae and shape of surstyli. Chrysotoxum anatolicum sp. n., known only from females, possesses an almost entirely yellow-pigmented wing, unusual amongst the other studied species of the C. vernale group. Additionally, C. hispanicum sp. n. and C. anatolicum sp. n. are separated from each other, as well as from other species of the C. vernale group by COI and ITS2 gene markers. An identification key to the West Palaearctic species of the C. vernale group is provided. This study was funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Research Project No: OI173002), the H2020 project "ANTARES" (No: 664387), and the ‘Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento’ of the University of Alicante (Ref. UATAL05).

Two new species of the genus Paragus Latreille, 1804 are described from the Republic of South Africa: Paragus longipilus Tot, Vujić et Radenković sp. nov. and Paragus megacercus Tot, Vujić et Radenković sp. nov. These new species belong to the subgenus Pandasyopthalmus Stuckenberg, 1954a. Paragus longipilus sp. nov. is a member of the P. jozanus group, whereas Paragus megacercus speng. nov. belongs to the P. tibialis group. The taxonomic status of Paragus chalybeatus Hull, 1964 is revised and proposed as synonym of Paragus punctatus Hull, 1949. Additionally, an identification key to males of the South African species of Paragus is provided. Results of the present study confirm a significant level of endemism of Paragus in the Afrotropical Region (12 out of 29).

Temporal comparisons of a site's biodiversity depend on the availability of at least two asynchronous data sets on a bioindicator group. The Sierra de Guadarrama, a mountain range in central Spain has a high biodiversity and representative sites such as El Ventorrillo Biological Station (Madrid province) play an important role in research and monitoring of the Sierra biodiversity. Although unevenly and randomly, hoverflies of the Sierra de Guadarrama have been surveyed for decades, but never at El Ventorrillo. This important group of pollinators, aphid predators and bioindicators was sampled with a Malaise trap at El Ventorrillo from June 1989 to June 1990. A total of 51 species were identified (20 spp. of Eristalinae and 31 spp. of Syrphinae), 22 of which were new to the Sierra de Guadarrama and 17 to the Madrid province. The genera Brachypalpus and Didea were also new to the Madrid province. The Sierra de Guadarrama now has 126 species recorded and the Madrid province 150. Within the Sierra de Guadarrama, El Ventorrillo becomes the second locality in number of hoverfly species recorded after El Escorial (64 spp.). In the Malaise trap catch, hoverflies with zoophagous larvae had a higher representation than those of other guilds, both in species richness and abundance. The results provided here for El Ventorrillo represent a baseline for future biodiversity studies at this site with a similar experimental design, for example, to detect changes in hoverfly diversities along time., This study belongs to the ‘Fauna Ibérica’ Project PGC2018-095851-A-C65A (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain).

© 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis. A new species of the genus Chrysotoxum (Diptera: Syrphidae), Chrysotoxum bozdagensis Nedeljković, Vujić & Hayat sp. n., collected from Bozdağ Mt., İzmir Province, Turkey is described and illustrated. Chrysotoxum bozdagensis sp. n. can be distinguished from the similar Ch. octomaculatum Curtis, 1837 by the presence of a black pile on the mesonotum and the colour of the legs. It is also similar to Ch. elegans Loew, 1841, from which it can be distinguished by the colour of the pile on the vertical triangle and scutellum, as well from the structure of the male genitalia. Additionally, Ch. bozdagensis sp. n. can be clearly distinguished from the latter two species by DNA sequence data. This new species increases the total number of Chrysotoxum species in Turkey to 18. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7465AAEA-21E6-4F0F-984C-CD48BE75436F.

New data and records of the genus Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803 are reported, arising from taxonomic and faunistic examination of adult specimens collected from 1920 to 2011 from four northeastern provinces of Turkey (Erzurum, Bayburt, Kars, and Artvin), and from the neighboring countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. Three new species are described: Chrysotoxum antennalis Vujic, Nedeljkovic & Hayat sp. n., C. clausseni Vujic, Nedeljkovic & Hayat sp. n. and C. persicum Vujic, Nedeljkovic & Hayat sp. n. The first two are known only from northeastern Turkey, and the third also occurs in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. These new species have in common an antenna with the basoflagellomere being shorter than the scape and pedicel together.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4C264678-8E47-4DE0-AC7D-91DABC597BCD

Integrative taxonomy tests the validity of taxa using methods additional to traditional morphology. The existence of two different morphotypes in specimens identified as Chrysotoxum vernale Loew (Diptera: Syrphidae) prompted their taxonomic study using an integrative approach that included morphology, wing and male-surstylus geometric morphometrics, genetic and ecological analyses. As a result, a new species is recognised, Chrysotoxum montanum Nedeljković & Vujić sp. nov., and C. vernale is re-defined. A lectotype and paralectotypes are designated for C. vernale to stabilize this concept. An additional species, Chrysotoxum orthostylum Vujić sp. nov., with distinctive male genitalia is also described. The three species share an antenna with the basoflagellomere shorter than the scape plus pedicel and terga with yellow fasciae not reaching the lateral margins. This study confirms the value of integrative approach for resolving species boundaries.

An integrative taxonomic approach revealed two taxa within Chrysotoxum festivum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera, Syrphidae), C. festivum A and C. festivum B. In addition to morphological differences, results also showed significant distinction in geometric morphometrics of wings and surstyli, and in DNA sequence data (nuclear ITS2 sequences) between C. festivum A, C. festivum B, and the closely related species C. elegans Loew, 1841. From examination of type material, the name C. tomentosum Giglio-Tos, 1890 is proposed for C. festivum B, and the taxon is redefined. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London

The revision of the saproxylic hoverflies collected in Serbia from 1950 to 2010 has revealed a total of 56 species, of which Sphiximorpha subsessilis (Illiger in Rossi) is new to the Balkan Peninsula and Arctophila superbiens (Muller), Blera fallax (Linnaeus), Brachyopa panzeri Goffe, Brachyopa testacea (Fallen), Brachyopa vittata Zetterstedt and Chalcosyrphus piger (Fabricius) are new to Serbia. According to “Syrph the Net, the database of European Syrphidae”, 16 of the 56 species are threatened with extinction in Europe, while 6 species are “strictly protected” and 13 are “protected” under Serbian legislation. Distribution maps for each species, as well as new data on adult habitats, are provided. The conservation status of the saproxylic hoverflies of Serbia is discussed. The present study attempts to provide a basis for the conservation of the saproxylic hoverflies of this Balkan country.

The diversity of bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) and hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) pollinators from ten localities in Vojvodina, Serbia was surveyed. Among different types of Pannonian habitat (grasslands, heathland and scrub, woodland and forest habitats) all localities were categorised as forest and steppe. They were in protected areas, mostly undisturbed by human activity. Censuses of pollinators took place from 30 March to 10 October, 2014. We recorded 218 pollinator species; 135 bee species (42 Halictidae; 32 Apidae; 29 Andrenidae; 24 Megachilidae; 7 Colletidae; 1 Melittidae) and 83 species of hoverflies. We describe a new species of hoverfly, Eumerus pannonicus sp. nov., and compare it to other similar species. Based on our study, the Special Nature Reserve of Pasnjaci Velike Droplje is critical for the conservation of this new Eumerus-being only found at this locality-and other species such as Chrysotoxum lineare (Zetterstedt), which is rare in Europe and protected under Serbian legislation. The highest numbers of bee species were recorded in the Deliblato and Subotica sand areas (40 and 32, respectively), while Fruska Gora Mountain and the Vrsac Mountains harboured the highest number of hoverfly species.

Many hoverfly species of faunal and zoogeographical interest are found in Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina due to the diversity of its biotopes. In this paper, the presence of 252 species of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) from 69 genera is documented. Five species are here recorded for the first time in Serbia: Anasimyia contracta Claussen & Torp Pedersen, 1980; Anasimyia transfuga (Linnaeus, 1758); Eristalinus megacephalus (Rossi, 1794); Helophilus hybridus Loew, 1846; and Mallota fuciformis (Fabricius, 1794). One species is recorded for the first time in Vojvodina: Cheilosia brunnipennis (Becker, 1894). The records of 12 species from Vojvodina Province are the only ones on the Balkan Peninsula, while the records of 15 species are the only ones in Serbia.

The results of the hoverfly (Syrphidae) collection by the ‘Malloch Society’ on the Greek island of Lesvos are presented.Fieldwork took place from February to March 2006 and from May to June 2010. An account of 66 species from 28 generais provided including two species new to science, five species new to Greece and data for several rarely recorded species.We describe Eumerus armatus Ricarte and Rotheray sp. nov., a medium size species with red abdomen. We also describe Sphiximorpha hiemalis Ricarte, Nedeljkovic and Hancock sp. nov., a hairy species with distinctive colour and pollinositypatterns and abdomen shape. The female of Eumerus claripennis Coe, 1957 is described and the male genitalia are figured.The majority of species encountered belonged to the typically Mediterranean genera Eumerus (8 spp.), Merodon (16 spp.)and Paragus (6 spp.). Approximately 71% of the recorded species also occur in Turkey. This supports the idea that West Mediterranean and Anatolian faunas overlap in Lesvos.

Examination of 122 specimens of Xanthogramma Schiner, 1861 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from varied localities in Europe (+Turkey) resulted in the description of two new species (X. aeginae Ricarte, Nedeljković, and Vujić new species and X. pilosum Nedeljković, Ricarte, and Vujić new species), as well as new data on six other species. Most of the examined material originated from the Balkan Peninsula and Greek islands. New species concepts were supported by morphological and molecular evidence. Relationships among the eight studied species were analysed and discussed based on the data of nuclear (ITS2) and mitochondrial (COI) genes sequences. An identification key to the European species of Xanthogramma is provided. Lectotypes are designated for Doros decoratum Zetterstedt, 1843, Lasiophthicus novus Rondani, 1857, Syrphus laetus Fabricius, 1794, Syrphus ornatus Meigen, 1822, and Xanthogramma nobilitatum Frey, 1946. Financial support was provided by the Serbian Ministry of Education and Science (projects OI173002 and III43002), the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development (project “Genetic resources of agro-ecosystems in Vojvodina and sustainable agriculture”), the FP7 EU project, Innosense, and the H2020 project “ANTARES” (664387), Antonio Ricarte’s position at the University of Alicante is funded by the Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento).

To gain some insight into the structure of the hoverfly community in fields of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), we conducted field experiments over three years (2011-2013) at two localities in the province of Vojvodina, northern Serbia. We recorded a total of 20 hoverfly species. Three species-Episyrphus balteatus (De Geer, 1776), Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus, 1758) and Eupeodes corollae (Fabricius, 1794)-were the most abundant in both localities and in each year. In order to determine the effect of climatic and non-climatic parameters on abundance and diversity of hoverflies, two separate PCA analyses were carried out. Multiple linear regressions were used to examine the relationships between abundance and extracted PC axes, while ordinal multinomial regressions were conducted to determine the relationships between species diversity and extracted PC axes. We did not detect statistically significant correlations between climatic and non-climatic parameters and overall hoverfly abundance. PC axes exhibited slight correlation with species diversity. The first PC axis clearly showed that overall species diversity increases with increasing temperature, relative humidity and diversity of crops surrounding the surveyed plots, whereas PC2 related species composition with monthly average rainfall and the season and year of observation. Synecological analysis of our data indicated that only a few species are major contributors to hoverfly communities on the oilseed rape crops we investigated. However, the importance of less abundant hoverfly species should not be underestimated, as sometimes these species play an important role in pollination in a specific part of the day or season, and this should be considered when creating agricultural policies and regulations, especially when it is known that abundances of hoverflies and pollinators in general are positively correlated with floral abundance and abundance flowering plant species., This work was funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia Grant Nos. OI173002 and III43002, the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia Grant No. 114-451-1125/2014-03 and 114-451-1702/2014-03 and H2020 Project "ANTARES" (664387).